Are you intimidated by Sport Mode? I prefer to play "offline".

[Robben]

So why have any tuning in the game?

For custom races or whatever, I don't know...

And, surely, players should only be grouped with other players using the same control device (DS4 or wheel) for the B to be a true balance?

This has been discussed and I think the consensus is that it's pretty balanced... there was one guy who is consistently in the EMEA top 10 that uses a controller.

Car set-up is part of real racing, so seems logical to me. I guess I'm on my own with this one, but car set-up was usually where I could balance out using a pad rather than a wheel.

You certainly aren't on your own... I've seen others say the same... but not everyone knows about suspension and gearbox tuning so it benefits those who do.

 

[cleanLX]

The BoP wouldn't be B then though...

In real life, there is a lot of rules and whatnot, that, I surely don't fully grasp...
However, in real life they are tweaking spring/shock packages, differential settings, roll control, ballast position... (air pressure)
Sure, they have min. weight, throttle body restrictions(Hp) and max angle for wings, but setting the car up for the race is up to the driver preferences... And if they want to remove down force they are free to do so, or, balance the downforce within the approved range.
And, I have got to believe they are changing out transmission and/or differential ratios within a set of approved regs.
No way they are running the same gearing at Spa (~180ish mph) as they do at Laguna Seca (~135ish mph) for example...

 

[Robben]

In real life, there is a lot of rules and whatnot, that, I surely don't fully grasp...
However, in real life they are tweaking spring/shock packages, differential settings, roll control, ballast position... (air pressure)
Sure, they have min. weight, throttle body restrictions(Hp) and max angle for wings, but setting the car up for the race is up to the driver preferences... And if they want to remove down force they are free to do so, or, balance the downforce within the approved range.
And, I have got to believe they are changing out transmission and/or differential ratios within a set of approved regs.
No way they are running the same gearing at Spa (~180ish mph) as they do at Laguna Seca (~135ish mph) for example...

I appreciate that, but in real life they know what they are doing... I am a gamer, not a mechanic/racing technician/racing driver.

Adding tuning would just create an unfair gulf between those who know and those who don't...

 

[cleanLX]

@Robben ... Kinda like the unfair advantage of those who have 8-10 or more hours a week to play/practice when some only have a 2 or less hours a week or maybe go weeks with no time to play/practice?
.

 

[Robben]

Kinda like the unfair advantage of those who have 8-10 or more hours a week to play/practice when some only have a 2 or less hours a week orr maybe go weeks with no time to play/practice?
.

I get your point... but those with only 2 hours to play, would then have even less time due to having to make aero/gearbox tweaks... then they would be complaining that their two hours a week is only 1 because of the need to tune to be competitive

 

[cleanLX]

^^haha... ok... I'm not going to convince you otherwise, I get it.

 

[Robben]

^^haha... ok... I'm not going to convince you otherwise, I get it.

At the moment, regardless of ability, you can pick the controller up and play a balanced race based on your ability. It would make BoP pointless.

 

[DesertPenguin]

www.snailracing.org
www.gtplanet.com/snail

 

[cleanLX]

At the moment, regardless of ability, you can pick the controller up and play a balanced race based on your ability. It would make BoP pointless.

yes, ok... but I need it... .

 

[Big_M]

...

 

[TheGeologist]

@TheGeologist

Congrats and welcome mate!

Thanks for the welcome, but my time didn't last long. I'm back to B now Gonna get back there though, I just gotta keep working on it!

 

[Robben]

Thanks for the welcome, but my time didn't last long. I'm back to B now Gonna get back there though, I just gotta keep working on it!

Oh I'm sure you will get back up soon mate .

I had a dodgy start to A, dropping to within 900 points of B again within a few days, but then got lucky with some favourable car and tracks and gained enough to give myself some breathing room . The problem is that when you are first promoted you are matched with Bs still, which means unless you finish really high you are going to give away points...

 

[Robben]

I believe I'm with cleanLX on this one. Being good at setting up a car is just as relevant as being a naturally faster driver (having faster reaction times or whatever). You may not understand how to set up a car, and so you use it as it comes out of the box, but spend hours mastering how to get the most out of what you have. Others may only be average drivers, but if they can set a car up well they should be able to use that to their advantage. I don't see how having knowledge of car set-up is any more unfair than having knowledge of a circuit or a natural talent for gaming.

But what about those who know how to set up a car and drive fast?

Personally, I think it's an unnecessary complexity... but I'm sure I'd agree with you if I knew how to do it

 

[Ledbetter]

Yes tuning gives an advantage if you know what you’re doing or get tunes from this site, as it should be. Drivers who take the time to learn and practice should be expected to excel over those who don’t. Dumbing the game down to accommodate those who don’t take the time to learn to drive properly is the last thing it needs.

 

[Big_M]

...

 

[Big_M]

...

 

[LordHernan]

I was like you, but now I prefer the thrill of online. Unfortunately, because I'm busy with my professional career, my online career has taken a back seat. When I'm tired and uncompetitive, I go back to offline.

 

[Robben]

Are you suggesting the ability to tune suspension and gearbox would be dumbing the game down?

No, he's suggesting that it is dumbed down now... without tuning. But he has used the wrong tense, which makes it read strangely.

 

[Big_M]

...

 

[Robben]

Ah, fair play 👍

I'm dyslexic, so easily confused by words

It's strange as he uses future tense, as if this is something you can do now... maybe he means not in Sport Mode?

 

[wigs2009]

@GT5 Level 41 great question.
Intimidated... well, sort of.
It's definitely a much higher pressure knowing that you may accidentally ruin another "real life persons" race through a mistake of your own.
If you are competitive, even just a little, there is also more pressure to perform, knowing that you are testing yourself, again, against real life people.
I am glad for campaign mode to have some neat races to make money... need that Jag XJ13 .
The custom races can be fun, and made to have good payouts.
And, the pressure of racing online probably isn't for everyone.

For me, it's thrilling, but, I have to be in the right frame of mind, or, mood if you will, to race online. Additionally, it has to be the right track(s)/car class combo to entice me to join in. More often than not, when I get home from work, I've had my share of pressure and stress for one day. Then often times when I do feel like going online, I look at the daily track selection and think... mmm, no thanks, that's a receipt for frustration.

I've only got 49, or, maybe it's 50 races online, and, while a few have been frustrating, by in large I've had very positive experience.

I'm guessing a lot of members here (I'm probably guilty of it myself), with their negative rants regarding "other racers" (dirty/stupid etc) or, their focus regarding the prestige of their Dr/Sr add to the intimidation.

I was reluctant to try online racing in the beginning too.
What changed my mindset about racing online... unlike most games, it's not about wining.
It's about racing.
Once I realized how much fun could be had simply racing, clean and fair, and stopped worrying about winning, the online part became a whole new dimension. With that mindset I've only ruined 1 other persons race... checked mirror in a bad spot, missed my brake point, rammed another car off track so hard I think he hyperspaced to Jupiter. And yes, other people make mistakes too, and I've been wrecked (sometimes I've been wrecked on purpose by other players... people... what-do-you-do?) but again, if you go in with the mindset, hey, stuff happens, just get back on track, and again try and do your best... you may find it fun (in an intimidating and high pressure kind a way ) as well.

So, sport mode may not be for everyone, but, don't let it intimidate you.

I enjoy both sides of the game... offline and online... for different reasons.

Well said...I think we should all be online friends on this thread.

 

[wigs2009]

Hi guys, I agree with all the comments above. My main reason for not racing much online is my terrible Internet connection speed because I live in the sticks in Ireland. 5 - 6 mbps lol.
I'm level 42 now with a D/S online. The last daily race I entered was brands hatch. Qualified 3rd but to my amazement who was pole position.... An S/S driver 3 seconds ahead of everybody else. So I didn't bother since.
Would be nice to hitch up with you guys if I don't loose connection

 

[Spongeinside]

I rarely play in Sport mode, I often don’t like the car and track combo and the time before the race starts is too long... When I want to race, I want to race immediately and not wait 10+ minutes

 

[Veinz]

Online is the bread and butter of GTS and many other games like it, players are missing out by skipping it.

Now all they need to do is let us adjust the suspension, aero, drivetrain, etc with BOP on and it would be near perfect. Fixed setups just waters the game down, just because this is more of a simcade game doesn't mean tuning should be disallowed in the competitive mode.

 

[Rallywagon]

I am not intimidated, but ibdont race online much... yet. I am not smooth or consistent enough with a controller. Once i get a hub to run my G27 on the ps4, ill be getting elbows deep into sports mode though

 

[cleanLX]

I get your point... but those with only 2 hours to play, would then have even less time due to having to make aero/gearbox tweaks... then they would be complaining that their two hours a week is only 1 because of the need to tune to be competitive

I'll go back to this, because it's a topic I feel strongly about, and enjoy the discussion.
I typically spend more than an hour on qualifying... lots of times it's trying different cars to see if they are naturally more suited to a particular track, and we all know there are horses for courses. Once I find a car that is best for the track, and my driving style on that track, I'll settle into practicing consistent speed.
On the other side of the coin, once I have a good basic/overall tune on a car, I can go to a track and within a couple laps know what needs changed to make it work better... making the changes takes about 2 minutes... betting I could shave my qualifying time down to about a half hour vs 1+hrs now.
And, in the mean time, I'm not guessing at what car might work best, I'm taking a car I like, and tweaking it to work better, and, that is something I enjoy.
The point here is, people who know how to tune, if like me, probably very much like tuning...
Kinda like the artists in our community enjoy making livers (and thanks for sharing them) which I have no desire to do.
On top of that, I would gladly share my tune, knowing full well what works for me may, or may not, work for my competitors.
Maybe PD could implement "share your tune to use it" like they do with liveries... Hmm.
Heck, I enjoy tuning so much I would help other players get their cars dialed in... shoot me a video clip from cockpit or bumper so I can see all the inputs and how the car is reacting, and, I'll help dial it in.
I currently do that with a buddy of mine, and it is very satisfying to watch him get faster and more consistent thru making the car work for him... and he drives very different from me.
What's a real gas, is we'll set up endurance races where we change driving duties every pit stop, but before we go into a race, we have to practice and work on car setup to a point that is agreeable to both of us... that is a real challenge. One I enjoy.

 

[John Crellin]

I'll go back to this, because it's a topic I feel strongly about, and enjoy the discussion.
I typically spend more than an hour on qualifying... lots of times it's trying different cars to see if they are naturally more suited to a particular track, and we all know there are horses for courses. Once I find a car that is best for the track, and my driving style on that track, I'll settle into practicing consistent speed.
On the other side of the coin, once I have a good basic/overall tune on a car, I can go to a track and within a couple laps know what needs changed to make it work better... making the changes takes about 2 minutes... betting I could shave my qualifying time down to about a half hour vs 1+hrs now.
And, in the mean time, I'm not guessing at what car might work best, I'm taking a car I like, and tweaking it to work better, and, that is something I enjoy.
The point here is, people who know how to tune, if like me, probably very much like tuning...
Kinda like the artists in our community enjoy making livers (and thanks for sharing them) which I have no desire to do.
On top of that, I would gladly share my tune, knowing full well what works for me may, or may not, work for my competitors.
Maybe PD could implement "share your tune to use it" like they do with liveries... Hmm.
Heck, I enjoy tuning so much I would help other players get their cars dialed in... shoot me a video clip from cockpit or bumper so I can see all the inputs and how the car is reacting, and, I'll help dial it in.
I currently do that with a buddy of mine, and it is very satisfying to watch him get faster and more consistent thru making the car work for him... and he drives very different from me.
What's a real gas, is we'll set up endurance races where we change driving duties every pit stop, but before we go into a race, we have to practice and work on car setup to a point that is agreeable to both of us... that is a real challenge. One I enjoy.

I'll throw my hat in the ring here:

I see why a lot of people who are new would find having to learn to tune/learn the track/learn the car right out of the gate less appealing or overwhelming. There are a lot of things to learn if you don't have prior tuning knowledge. I was one of those people who knew nothing about tuning, but after spending a little time working on it, it really isn't that hard, and in fact, it can be really enjoyable.

Now that being said, I think the best option in Sport Mode (for accessibility) would be to keep the tuning locked but open up the Final Gear Ratio for adjustment. This would make most of the noncompetitive cars more competitive. It would be a simple adjustment to a slider and it would only take a lap or two (or just a run down the longest straight) to optimize your gearbox for the course. I think this would be a fair compromise and remove a lot of the issues that we have with certain cars.

 

[cleanLX]

I'll throw my hat in the ring here:

I see why a lot of people who are new would find having to learn to tune/learn the track/learn the car right out of the gate less appealing or overwhelming. There are a lot of things to learn if you don't have prior tuning knowledge. I was one of those people who knew nothing about tuning, but after spending a little time working on it, it really isn't that hard, and in fact, it can be really enjoyable.

Now that being said, I think the best option in Sport Mode (for accessibility) would be to keep the tuning locked but open up the Final Gear Ratio for adjustment. This would make most of the noncompetitive cars more competitive. It would be a simple adjustment to a slider and it would only take a lap or two (or just a run down the longest straight) to optimize your gearbox for the course. I think this would be a fair compromise and remove a lot of the issues that we have with certain cars.

Funny (let me explain) that some people would find tuning overwhelming, I mean I totally understand your comment, and agree it likely has much merit...
But funny, for me, because... Back when GT4 was released I had zero interest in race car games... didn't even know that GT series existed.
A co-worker that knew I was a gear head approached me at the coffee pot one day and asked me "so, in a car, what is camber, and what does it do?"
Odd discussion to have with the director if design in an architectural firm, but ok...
(background - he wears nice shoes and a bow tie and speaks eloquently, I am a construction engineer, wear work boots and a T-shirt and have to drop the F bomb to make myself clear... he dazzles politicians and gov't officials all day, I work construction.)
A few days later he asks me how can anti roll bars effect the handling of a car... again, we talk, and that is that.
The next week, he pulls me aside and says, ok, I play this race car game, and I'm thinking about getting a steering wheel, should I get one with force feedback? I didn't even know what force feedback was but said sure, you want to be able to feel what the car is doing... whatever... game geek... you can afford it...
Some time passes by and one day again, he approached me and asked, what does a limited slip do?
OK, so, I finally put it all together and before answering him I ask, so this game you play... you can adjust all that in the game, and it actually has effect on the car?
He gets all smiles and say oh yes, says how you can feel it, and he starts telling me how you can adjust shocks, springs, rear gear trans gears castor etc etc... says he has no idea what he's doing, but appreciates me explaining it to him...
So, now I'm interested and he can tell... and he says come on over this weekend and have a go... this is like mixing oil and water together... ... whatever, I know he likes good beer and I'm betting he's got some in his fridge so I agree.
I was blown away... I might have drove for 10 minutes that evening, the rest of the time he hammered cars around tracks and I watched what the car was doing and we made adjustments... he was happy to get his car dialed, but I think I had more fun... was kinda like a work session for him.

So, overwhelming... is funny to me, because, it is the very... ok, only thing that lured me in.

So, that "co-worker" is now my best friend... and our lives have gotten a lot more complicated, and we no longer work together, but we still get together to play "race cars".

oh, he's still faster than me... even more so when I get his car just right.

 

[John Crellin]

Funny (let me explain) that some people would find tuning overwhelming, I mean I totally understand your comment, and agree it likely has much merit...
But funny, for me, because... Back when GT4 was released I had zero interest in race car games... didn't even know that GT series existed.
A co-worker that knew I was a gear head approached me at the coffee pot one day and asked me "so, in a car, what is camber, and what does it do?"
Odd discussion to have with the director if design in an architectural firm, but ok...
(background - he wears nice shoes and a bow tie and speaks eloquently, I am a construction engineer, wear work boots and a T-shirt and have to drop the F bomb to make myself clear... he dazzles politicians and gov't officials all day, I work construction.)
A few days later he asks me how can anti roll bars effect the handling of a car... again, we talk, and that is that.
The next week, he pulls me aside and says, ok, I play this race car game, and I'm thinking about getting a steering wheel, should I get one with force feedback? I didn't even know what force feedback was but said sure, you want to be able to feel what the car is doing... whatever... game geek... you can afford it...
Some time passes by and one day again, he approached me and asked, what does a limited slip do?
OK, so, I finally put it all together and before answering him I ask, so this game you play... you can adjust all that in the game, and it actually has effect on the car?
He gets all smiles and say oh yes, says how you can feel it, and he starts telling me how you can adjust shocks, springs, rear gear trans gears castor etc etc... says he has no idea what he's doing, but appreciates me explaining it to him...
So, now I'm interested and he can tell... and he says come on over this weekend and have a go... this is like mixing oil and water together... ... whatever, I know he likes good beer and I'm betting he's got some in his fridge so I agree.
I was blown away... I might have drove for 10 minutes that evening, the rest of the time he hammered cars around tracks and I watched what the car was doing and we made adjustments... he was happy to get his car dialed, but I think I had more fun... was kinda like a work session for him.

So, overwhelming... is funny to me, because, it is the very... ok, only thing that lured me in.

So, that "co-worker" is now my best friend... and our lives have gotten a lot more complicated, and we no longer work together, but we still get together to play "race cars".

oh, he's still faster than me... even more so when I get his car just right.

That's actually a good story
I worked a few years in roofing and landscaping myself so I understand that relationship dynamic.

Personally, I'm all for tuning. I'd rather it be incorporated into sport mode than completely ignored (there are many cars in this game id love to see be competitive) but Im not sure that many love engineering the same way we do. In the lobbies I race I always pick rooms with tuning enabled for this reason. It just adds so much more depth to the game overall where i find myself actually paying attention to the handling and diagnosing spin-outs and understeer rather than just beating my self up for poor throttle control or poor driving lines.

Im hoping that they eventually phase tuning into the dailies or FIA races once the majority of the crowd has had a chance to come to grips with the game. To me it looks like, with the phase in of the GR.1 class, upgrades in Race B, and slow release of the tracks, that PD is trying to teach us to walk before we run. (which is understandably obnoxious to those runners out there)

IDK, maybe im being too optimistic but I hope we can look forward to them opening up the tuning at some point. They would need to have some mechanism in place to aid those that dont have the time or care to learn how to tune though, otherwise it will be just down to who is the best mechanic not the best driver.

Until then, I'll just go the the lobbies if i feel like racing the McLaren or NSX or any car that doesnt hit the Top 10s regularly. But I wont be ecstatic about it

 

[St739]

Iam completely addicted to sport mode love the competition but Iam average rating dr c sr s. Felt guilty playing fifa the other day the urge to see what the daily was killed me